Crews searching for woman swept to sea at popular eastern Newfoundland tourist site

A person walks up stairs towards the lighthouse at Cape Spear, N.L., before sunrise on Friday, June 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Emergency crews are searching the waters off Cape Spear in eastern Newfoundland after a woman was swept off the cliffs at the popular tourist site on Wednesday afternoon.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says roads in the area are closed to make way for search and rescue crews and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Paul Chaytor with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department says first responders arrived at the scene Wednesday to find a man in his vehicle, soaked and in shock, who said he was with the woman when she was swept away.

The deputy chief of operations says the man lost his phone in the water and made a distress call with his vehicle’s OnStar navigation system.

Chaytor says there were large waves pounding the rocks and cliffs at Cape Spear on Wednesday, and it seems the man and woman got too close to the surf.

Cape Spear is about 10 kilometres southeast of St. John’s, N.L., at Canada’s most easterly point, and the area is known for its treacherous, slippery cliffs and powerful waves.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press